Disciplining as a stepparent

Discipline and being a stepparent is tricky, at least it is for me, because I always have to take my lead from what my wife and her ex have already set up. I think they do a really good job and I’ve actually learned from them because they’re experienced parents, but I do think it’s like a minefield and you have to tread carefully as the new parent. You can’t just come in and say, “Listen, when I was a kid, this what my parents did.” Even though that’s your natural instinct because that’s how you were raised and you think it works great for you probably, but you do have to respect the fact that these other people may raise the kids in a way that you don’t totally agree with, and if that’s the case, what are you going to do? You have to think through it. We’ve definitely talk through how do we want to handle homework or how do we handle if we feel like that they need a penalty and they can’t be on their electronics for an hour. How do we handle that? I’ve just taken the lead and slowly learned what feels right and we’ve made our own rules in our house, but they’re not dissimilar from the rules in the other house. And I think If I saw that going on then I was in the situation where there were two different things happening, I would try to make it a little less this because you don’t want one house to be the good house and one house to be the bad house, even if you’re the good house. It’s just not good. You want to make both houses fun and cool.

Jeff Probst

Host/EP Survivor

Emmy Award-winning host and executive producer Jeff Probst has just completed production on the 29th installment of the phenomenally successful CBS series, “Survivor.” Survivor: Blood v Water premieres on CBS Sept 2014.

Probst is a four-time Emmy Award winner for "Outstanding Reality Host," the only winner since the awards inception in 2008. He has traveled the world serving as both host and executive producer for “Survivor.” Probst also received another Emmy in 2001 when Survivor was awarded the best reality show Emmy.

Probst is also a feature film director. In 2002, he wrote and directed "Finder's Fee," starring Ryan Reynolds, James Earl Jones, Robert Forster and Matthew Lillard.

Most recently, he produced and directed the feature film “Kiss Me, “ starring John Corbett, Sarah Bolger, Rita Wilson, Emily Osment, Missy Pyle and Jenna Fisher.

Probst hosts the "Howard Stern Celebrity Fan Roundtable" for Howard Stern on Sirius/XM radio and previously served as host of VH1's "Rock and Roll Jeopardy.” He hosted several programs for FX and traveled around the world as a correspondent for "Access Hollywood." In 2001, he was voted one of People Magazine's "Most Beautiful."

Probst is a proud spokesperson for Taylorsgift.org whose mission is to re-gift life through organ donation.

Probst is also an ordained minister and has served as the officiant at the weddings of several friends. He was ordained by the Universal Life Church of Modesto, California.

A native of Wichita, Kan., Probst lives with his family in Los Angeles when not traveling the world. His birthday is November 4. He can be followed on twitter @jeffprobst and at jeffprobst.com.

Discipline and being a stepparent is tricky, at least it is for me, because I always have to take my lead from what my wife and her ex have already set up. I think they do a really good job and I’ve actually learned from them because they’re experienced parents, but I do think it’s like a minefield and you have to tread carefully as the new parent. You can’t just come in and say, “Listen, when I was a kid, this what my parents did.” Even though that’s your natural instinct because that’s how you were raised and you think it works great for you probably, but you do have to respect the fact that these other people may raise the kids in a way that you don’t totally agree with, and if that’s the case, what are you going to do? You have to think through it. We’ve definitely talk through how do we want to handle homework or how do we handle if we feel like that they need a penalty and they can’t be on their electronics for an hour. How do we handle that? I’ve just taken the lead and slowly learned what feels right and we’ve made our own rules in our house, but they’re not dissimilar from the rules in the other house. And I think If I saw that going on then I was in the situation where there were two different things happening, I would try to make it a little less this because you don’t want one house to be the good house and one house to be the bad house, even if you’re the good house. It’s just not good. You want to make both houses fun and cool.